The U.S. government has defended gay people at an important European human-rights conference, the Council for Global Equality reported Oct. 8. The move was believed to be the first such action by the U.S. in a European context.
At the annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, held in Warsaw, the U.S. delegation spoke out “against violations of the rights to freedom of association, especially those targeting gay pride marches in Eastern Europe, while also noting patterns of extreme violence targeting LGBT citizens in the United States and Europe,” said CGE Chair Mark Bromley.
“This is the first time that the United States has used its position within the OSCE to address these alarming human rights trends,” he said.
The head of the U.S. delegation, Dr. Michael Haltzel, said that anti-GLBT violence discourages gay people from coming out and fighting for their rights.
“Acts of violence and human rights abuses toward individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity are … a worrying — and increasing — trend that often goes unnoticed,” he said. “The extreme nature of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals has a chilling effect on these individuals’ speaking openly and advocating for their rights.”
Haltzel also called on Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan “to decriminalize homosexuality.”
U.S. delegate Erika Schlager told the gathering that the U.S. is “concerned over the denial of permission for pride events in (various) countries and the violence that has been directed at participants in marches that do occur.”
By Rex Wockner
